


until we're grey and old

by lesbinej



Series: tumblr kiss prompts [2]
Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Light Angst, just them being cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 10:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16173344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbinej/pseuds/lesbinej
Summary: lollipopshards said: hey it’s Emma (the dyke one) and uhhh 16. Lazily pls and thanks oh, and it has to be gertchase wink wonk16. …lazily.(title from say you wont let go by james arthur)





	until we're grey and old

Gert isn’t sure what time it is, but she knows—she just  _ knows,  _ that it’s too fucking early to be awake. 

So why, why on  _ Earth  _ was Chase Fucking Stein (she’s actually not sure what his middle name is, but she’s called him Chase Fucking Stein so much that she’d be surprised if that didn’t turn out to be his full name)  _ not  _ in her arms? He’d woken her up, barely, by sliding out from her grasp, and tottering off somewhere in the direction of the Hostel’s one working bathroom. He probably just had to piss, but still. Now Gert isn’t going to be able to fall back asleep until he comes back, and she can bury her face in his shoulder and smell the ocean until he falls asleep, and she can pretend it’s him comforting her instead of the other way around.

She lies awake for a second, waiting for Chase to return—maybe he’s getting water? Maybe he got cold and he’s gonna go bug Karolina for an extra blanket? Doubtful, since Nico absolutely hoards them, and not a one of them would risk walking into Karolina and Nico’s room after midnight, lest they face after-midnight Nico’s wrath. 

Gert’s just starting to get irritated with Chase for taking so goddamn long, her eyes squeezed shut but not letting her fall back asleep without a certain someone’s familiar weight pressed to her front, when she hears  _ crying. Chase’s  _ crying.

Gert shoots to her feet instantly, only hindered by her head feeling light and her vision darkening for a second. Normally, she’d look for her glasses, but they’re not high on her priority list right now.  _ Chase  _ is what matters, and Gert will be damned if she’s not there  _ right now.  _

She finds him just outside their bedroom door, breathing heavily, shoulders shaking with tears. He looks up at her, and she can’t believe how broken he looks, and Gert sees an emotion that she’s always hated seeing on him: shame.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you—” He starts, but Gert pulls him into a tight hug, effectively cutting him off. She’s short, but her hugs are deadly.

“Hey, baby,” she says, rubbing her hand up and down his back. Chase brings his face into her hair, and she squeezes a little tighter. He’s got his arms wrapped around her waist, and she just holds him like that, for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

He doesn’t answer her, for a second—just holds her waist and breathes too steadily in her hair. He’s controlling his breaths—in, out, in out, and Gert’s almost hypnotized by the steady rhythm. She has to force herself not to fall asleep in his arms, just standing there.

“A—Another nightmare,” he says, gasping a little, and Gert would’ve squeezed tighter if she could’ve. There’s many reasons she hates Victor Stein, but the fact that he left his mark on his son long after he’d died had to take the cake. It’s been at least a year since all of their parents died, but Chase still woke up in tears some nights, tormented by the memories of his father slamming his bones into furniture. Gert rubs her hand a little more along Chase’s back.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re here. I’m here. Victor Stein can’t hurt you anymore,” she whispers—since his ear is right next to her jaw, she knows he can hear her. “You’re safe. We’re safe.”

He nods into her neck. “I’m okay,” he says, his throat a little warbled from the tears. 

“I know,” Gert says. “But it’s okay to not be.”

He nods again. “I just want to go back to sleep.”

“Not opposed to that,” she says, but as she steps back, she grabs his face with both hands, making sure he’s looking her in the eyes.  _ God _ , she loves his eyes. They’re always so emotional, so raw, so  _ human,  _ and Gert could stare at them forever. “If you can hold me through an anxiety attack, why do you think I won’t hold you through this?”

Chase looks away, but he can’t turn, since Gert’s holding his (very strong and well shaped) jaw. 

“I don’t know. I just didn’t want to bother you, I guess, since you’ve already done this a hundred times…”

“And I’ll do it a hundred times more,” she says firmly. “As many times as it takes. Okay?”

“Okay,” he says, smiling a little, and Gert can see the tiredness behind his eyes—the same tiredness that must be behind hers. 

They crawl back into bed together and wrap their arms around each other, tangling their legs. Old Lace lets out a loud huff from her pad on the floor, apparently annoyed at the disturbance in her sleep. Gert doesn’t care—she’s carding her fingers through Chase’s hair, and his head is on her chest, and she’s pretty sure he might be listening to her heartbeat like the sap he is.

“I love you,” Chase says, long after Gert thought he’d fallen asleep. He rolls his head over to look at her, his eyes shining with adoration. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Gert says back, but it’s interrupted by a yawn. Chase props himself up on his elbows, now pretty much on top of her, and he presses a slow, lingering kiss to her mouth. She’s entranced pretty much immediately—he’s always had that effect. Except for the fact that it’s still fuckass o’clock in the morning, she’d ask him to marry her right there. But it’s too late—or early, Gert muses—to do anything else, so they kiss until she falls asleep underneath him, warm lips still pressed together. 


End file.
